We are a family living in NW Iowa. We value our Faith, Family, Friends, and Food.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Ok...let's give this a try again.
Life has changed for me. I now have a sweet 7 month old baby girl, Makenzie, in addition to my growing-up-too-fast 3 year old boy, Colton. I'm hoping to use this blog still as a food blog (I love new recipes) but also as a way to connect with those who don't live near us (and those who do :-))

With my new interest in Pinterest, my love for cooking/baking has returned after 9 months of being very sick. Let me tell you all, my husband makes a mean grilled cheese. And that's basically what we ate for the 9 months I was pregnant.

Alrighty, on to the good stuff. The ooey-gooey good stuff. The chocolatey good stuff.

During tax season for my CPA of a husband (which has finally ended!!!!), I thought I would make him a little treat. I asked him what sweet treat he wanted. Anything he wanted, I would make it. Cheesecake, raspberry tortes, triple layer chocolate cake. He chose...chocolate chip cookies. Plain jane chocolate chip cookies. So rather than using my go-to recipe (on the butter crisco stick package) I thought I would change things up a bit. First, I got his permission to make bars instead of cookies. Then, I found a recipe that added cream cheese (my favorite addition to many cookies). The result was a 9x13 pan full of crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside bars.
*Warning: Second helping cannot be avoided. No matter how much weight you have to lose from pregnancy...

Directions:Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugars 3-4 minutes until well creamed.
Spray a 9 x 13″ pan with nonstick spray or line with parchment, then spray again. Stir in the eggs one at a time, until well incorporated. Stir in vanilla and salt. Add flour, baking soda, and chocolate chips and stir until about half-mixed. The dough will be very thick. You may need to use your hands finish mixing in the flour. I did.
Pat the dough into the prepared pan.
Bake at 350 degrees 27-30 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the center is just set. Let cool in the pan before slicing.
Makes 24 bars....or so...